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The highlight here is that the beer was finished on beechwood chips, which are usually used to provide more surface space for yeast during the fermentation of Budweiser. While it’s noticeable, its overpowered by a near cloying sweetness and a misplaced caramel note.

12 oz bottle served in a lager glass. Has a nice clear, medium amber body with a large and creamy looking beige head. The head has decent retention.

A much appreciated but small increase in hop presence over the typical lagers from this macro-brewery is found upon tasting, although not evident in the nose. I believe I could detect a faint spice-like contribution frm the "beechwood chips".

O: flawless execution of a rather lame recipe, with a nice semi-dry finish. Too much like one of their regular mass-produced lagers and not enough like a special small batch craft brew. [3.25]

If Budweiser can make kick-ass beers like their Tomahawk IPA, why do they bother with these basic beers? This is just a slightly sweet, reddish lager. It's got a very nice, gently caramelish malt component to it, and some fresh, balanced hops but it's far from anything to write home about. In fact, it initially reminded me of the first Killian's Red that I had back in 1984 - almost 30 years ago! Ahhh... putting my disappointment aside, I guess I can see this as a stepping stone for some drinkers, and there is certainly a lot more malt and flavor here than in the flagship brand, which is, I believe, still one of the best selling beers on earth. So, to a certain extent, that all makes sense. When you're that big you need to be careful about how you change your image in the eyes of the consumers that are paying the bills. And I assume they know that it'll pay off just based on people trying the beer. But here's my final conclusion. If I walked into a roadside bar one night and found only Bud, Bud Light, and this on tap which would I drink? I'd probably stick with the Bud.

Poured from a bottle into a cold frosted mug. Looks like a nice reddish amber with a little white head. But taste like a bud with more caramel malts/notes. If you like bud you'll love this beer. Me I hate bud so I think this stinks. Don't waste your money if you like bud, just buy bud.

A good finger of head on a clear, amber colored body.
The aroma is a little grain with some fruit, the beechwood is evident too. Smells nice.
The taste is balanced and smooth. It has only the mildest bitterness to go with it's malty body (for a lager).
The texture is crisp with moderate carbonation.
It's a smooth and tasty lager.

Pours out to a 3/4 inch sudsy head that retreats rapidly and color is gold-copper. Aroma has a slight bit of hops character to it and everything else about the smell is blah. Flavor is where the beer starts to crater. It tastes like it was manufactured and not hand crafted. It is so devoid of flavor that alcohol emerges as a dominant flavor -- bad! Mouthfeel is thin and becomes astringent over time. This is a crappy beer and a shameful marketing ploy by Budweiser. Hell, regular Bud's got more going for it than this Frankenstein monster. It's like most cheap american malt liquors in terms of character and to quote an Alabama legislator: "what's wrong with the beer we got? It drinks pretty good..."

12 ounce bottle, born on date of September 30, 2012 (Julian Date 12273 stamped on label). A buddy bought me some of the Project 12 beers since he found them on sale recently (bought the 12 pack for just $5.75), so I might as well try them. If what I've read online is correct, this is the brew they picked to be their new Black Crown beer. Served in a pint glass, the beer pours a clear amber color with about a half inch off-white head. Head retention is good, and there's a decent amount of lacing. The brew smells like sweet and grainy malt, and some caramel. Taste is similar to the aroma, but there's also the addition of some nuts. Mouthfeel/body is light/medium, with a good amount of carbonation. Truthfully, this is better than I expected it to be. Worth a try if you can pick up a single somewhere.

Taste: First up were sweet corn notes. Then not too much else. Maybe some toasted grain. This one did have slightly more character than ‘Batch 23185’.

I'm sorry but there has to be some artificial coloring used here. The amber tone seemed to suggest some sort of malt bill, but it just wasn't there. Typical AB-Inbev: appealing look with no real substance. Just my opinion.

There's nothing about this that really stands out. The unfortunate and unnecessary aspect of these "contest" brews is that they're all just marginally differing from th base beers that they brew day in and day out. What's the point?! Two amber lagers and an effing pilsner does not scream diversity!